Qualifying for the State Invitational Tournament for the first
time since 2000 with a top eight finish at the prestigious 32-team
John Schmidt Memorial Nor Cal Tournament last weekend, the Live Oak
High boys water polo team proved it can compete with the best teams
in the state.
Qualifying for the State Invitational Tournament for the first time since 2000 with a top eight finish at the prestigious 32-team John Schmidt Memorial Nor Cal Tournament last weekend, the Live Oak High boys water polo team proved it can compete with the best teams in the state.
According to Acorn coach Mack Haines, Live Oak had a standout weekend at the tourney, which featured many of the top programs in the state, winning three of five games to take seventh place.
“We’re playing with the best in the state and that’s all we can expect,” Haines said. I hope we can continue in that mode. But we’re going to have to work a heck of a lot harder to stay where we are.”
In Friday’s opening matches, Live Oak broke open a tight game by scoring nine second-half goals to down Golden Valley of Merced 15-5, then turned in an outstanding performance against perennial power Acalanes of Lafayette in a 9-6 win.
Acorn senior Ryan Gautschi led the way with nine goals against Golden Valley, while Justin Short and Kyle Fast each added two goals.
Short had five goals against Acalanes, while Gautschi added four.
Haines said last year’s team would have lost to Acalanes.
In Saturday’s championship round matches, the Acorns dropped a close 5-4 decision to powerful Clovis West, then lost to Clovis 9-5, before rebounding to beat Davis 9-5 to claim seventh place.
Gautschi scored a team-high nine goals in the three matches, while Short added five and Corey Robinson added three.
Clovis West would advance to the tourney final before losing to Menlo.
Haines said only three Central Coast Section teams finished ahead of the Acorns, and all were private schools. (Menlo won, Bellarmine was third and Sacred Heart took fifth.)
The annual state invitational tourney is scheduled for Halloween weekend in the Bay Area.
Live Oak hosts Carmel on Wednesday before playing in the Menlo Tournament this weekend.
Wahine Classic
After rolling into the title match of its own Wahine Classic, the Live Oak High girls water polo team had to settle foir second place after falling to Archbishop Mitty in a heartbreaker in Saturday’s finale last weekend.
In the championship game, Live Oak lost to Mitty 10-8 despite the efforts of leading scorers Ronni Gautschi, with six goals, and Amanda Cretcher and Breanna Sennert, with one each. Goalie Danielle Maldonado had 11 saves.
Live Oak stormed to a 4-1 lead but ran out of steam as Mitty mountedf a powerful counter-attack.
“In the end we just could not keep up with them,” Live Oak coach Bryan Traverso said. “Ronni (Gautschi) played one of the best games I have ever seen a player play. She was matched up against Mitty’s best player, Julie Hyrne, who is also considered one of the best players in CCS. Hyrne did not score with Ronni on her and Ronni was able to score six goals on top of her great defense on Hyrne. I tip my hat to her. She showed that she is definitely one of the best players in CCS. But this was a great game for us, in that it was physical and showed us what areas we need to work on.”
In Friday’s tourney opener, Live Oak beat Lynbrook 13-2. Leading scorers were Gautschi with five, Laura Shope and Laura Melroy with two each, and Katie Robinson, Breanna Sennert, and Amanda Cretcher each scored one apiece. In the second game of the tourney, the Acorns beat Aptos 13-8. Leading scorers were Gautschi and Amanda Cretcher with four each, Breanna Sennert and Laura Melroy with two apiece, and Laura Shope with one.
